Page 26 - JULY 2016 Newsletter

GOOD NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
Marine Unit revives 50-year-old man who collapsed
On June 27, 2015, while assigned to the Marine Unit Head- quarters Communications o ce, O cer Kevin Hitney was made aware of a person down on the bike path near the shore line by DuSable Harbor. Upon arrival, O cer Hitney observed a man, unconscious and not breathing with no pulse. He imme- diately started CPR followed by using an Automatic External De brillator. At this time, O cer Edmund Echevarria arrived and established an airway and started rescue breathing via a Bag Valve Mask. Due to the fast actions of O cers Hitney and Echevarria resulting from the training and constant practice with EMS gear that is aboard every Marine Unit Vessel, the vic- tim made a full recovery.
Cops start softball league to mentor kids in JISC
Beginning June 8, a softball initiative/instructional league was started to cater to juveniles who have been processed through the Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC). For six consecutive weeks, o cers mentored juveniles while building team camaraderie and relationships with other juve- niles throughout the city at McKinley Park.
5th District reunites family with lost dog
On June 7, concerned citizens informed o cers they had discovered a small dog wandering the streets. The o cers decided to investigate if the owner could be identi ed via a microchip commonly implanted in canines and took the dog to the Animal Welfare League. Upon learning that the dog did have a microchip implant, they found the owners who had been missing their pet for nearly four years.
11th District patrol o cers save choking baby
On a transportation assignment on Sept. 28, 2015, O cers Joel A. Lopez, and Jose A. Reynoso pulled next to a vehicle, dis- covered a 10-month-old baby was choking inside the vehicle, and requested an ambulance. The o cers performed infant CPR using an open palm on the child’s back and expelled an object that had caused the airway obstruction.
O cer’s quick tourniquet saves gunshot victim
O cer Suzette Foster was in the ra- dio room in the 2nd
District when a car pulled in front of the police station on Jan.
16. A gunshot victim limped inside the sta- tion and collapsed on the oor, bleed- ing profusely from
his left thigh. Rush- ing to his aid, Foster quickly grabbed a
metal bar, fash- ioned a tourniquet and kept the victim conscious until the
CFD arrived.
The Right Stu
Personnel from the 12th District and members of the Chica- go Police Bike Unit lled vehicles with hundreds of bags food and escorted them to the First Baptist Congregational Church at the West Loop location on June 11. “Stu the Squad,” in con- junction with Mariano’s, supported local food pantries with pre-stu ed bags of food that were eventually delivered to 27 food banks.
Kindergarten Cops:
Standing in for fallen brother at son’s graduation
On June 3, the son of fallen O cer Alex Valadez graduated from kindergarten and a team of o cers attended on Alex’s behalf. O cer Valadez was killed in the line of duty in 2009 – just three months before his rst child was born.
4th District cops stand the heat: Rescue man from car on re
O cers Ricardo Gallegos and Szymon Hypta were working rst watch in the 4th District on Feb. 1 when they observed a parked vehicle sparking from the underside that eventual- ly erupted into ames and spread to the interior. The o cers gained entry to the vehicle and rescued a 54-year-old man suf- fering from partial paralysis who had dozed while warming up the vehicle.
O’Hare unit helps family of ducklings make their ight
Shortly after 10 a.m. on May 28, CPD units at O’Hare received a call to assist a citizen on an airport service road. Upon arrival they found two women trying to rescue a family of ducklings trapped in a sewer near the United Airlines Credit Union. CPD Patrol, Tactical and K-9 O cers Floyd Eppling, Timothy Bolger, Carlos Soria, Martin McNaughton and John Conway removed the sewer cover and lowered themselves in to rescue seven baby ducklings.
The Better News
Whether it’s the negative headlines in the daily newspa- pers or the lack of stories chronicling responses like those detailed above, Lodge 7 Field Representative Tom Mc- Donagh compliments officers for rising above the quan- dary. And he sees that resilience and strength show up in the most important of situations.
“When there is a crime scene and 10 to 15 squad cars and you see your fellow police officers, that’s when they rise above it,” McDonagh reasons. “That camaraderie, that brotherhood/sisterhood, reminds us that we’re not the problem; we’re part of the solution.”
Chicago Police Chaplain Father Dan Brandt says he sees the camaraderie during his regular tours on the street to support officers when they respond. One of those incidents came six months ago when protestors took to the streets following the release of the Laquan McDonald video. While said protestors were, as Father Dan noticed, blocking entrances to stores and restaurants and attract- ing the attention of the television cameras, he saw some- thing that never made the 10 O’Clock News.
“For every protestor, I witnessed two or three people thanking the police for what they do,” Father Dan recalls. “These were the more educated folks, and, of course, the camera doesn’t capture that. But these are the folks who
26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2016
2nd District Of cer Suzette Foster shows the Lifesaving Award she received from Chica- go Lodge 7.